


Near-Death + Kiss + Second Chances + Attempts at Communication

by Anonymous



Series: Mac + Desi + Zayn [10]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Bisexual!Desi, Fluff, Hey look they're resolving things, Mission Fic, Multi, Pansexual!MacGyver, Polyamory, The gang goes to Italy, but it's got a happy ending, nonbinary OC, s04e05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24901387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Desi joins a soccer team and almost dies, Mac makes adrenaline-fueled decisions, and Zayn's just happy there's finally peace again when the dust settles.
Relationships: Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)/Original Character(s), Angus MacGyver/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen, Desiree "Desi" Nguyen/Original Character(s), Riley Davis & Original Character(s)
Series: Mac + Desi + Zayn [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1374475
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4
Collections: Anonymous





	Near-Death + Kiss + Second Chances + Attempts at Communication

Zayn was probably the only one who had seen any photos of Desi before she turned twenty-five. At least until today. 

“I’m so gonna murder you,” Desi told Mac conversationally, the edges of her lips curling upwards in spite of her best efforts. Zayn covered their mouth to hide the smile that garnered. It was the friendliest bickering they’d heard in awhile.

“She also used to be a starting player at Michigan senior year, three goals in the finals. MVP.” Mac was bragging about her, pride in his voice. It only made Zayn smile wider.

Desi squinted at him. “How do you know that? I don’t remember even telling you.”

“Yeah, you didn’t.” Mac smirked. “You used to have a recurring dream about it, the crowd was cheering you on and everything. You used to talk about it in your sleep with a little smile on your face.”

They were gazing at each other lovingly, again, and Zayn was relieved that things were finally going smoothly. 

Everyone else, on the other hand, was looking between the three of them super awkwardly, the same way they always did when Mac and Desi talked about the past relationship or said anything remotely romantic. 

Zayn regularly forgot that it was expected for them to be...any kind of upset about Desi/Mac until they got a look like that. “He wanted to know what you were talking about, so he asked me. I told him the story,” they volunteered, earning an even more confused and awkward look from Riley. 

Nobody had really figured out the timeline of the relationships. No one had asked how long Desi and Zayn had been together, because the answer seemed obvious. Apparently, no one seemed to realize that Zayn and Mac had been friends while Mac dated Desi, even though they would _swear_ they’d talked about it before.

Social norms were a hell of a drug.

Then it was the college photo, which garnered a chuckle from Bozer and a less amused reaction from Desi. Zayn gave her a quick kiss to calm her, and only then did Riley’s shoulders relax. Apparently she was looking out for Zayn.

After that it was a whirlwind of preparations, deepfakes and string pulling and rehearsing. 

“I’m gonna throw in a little online presence, give you a personal backstory,” Riley explained.

Zayn murmured, impressed, which earned them a smile from Riley. 

“Can I have a Spanish boyfriend?” Desi asked, getting a nod in return. “And a French girlfriend?”

Zayn choked. Okay, apparently it was finally time to push at the limits.

Riley’s eyebrows went up, clearly not knowing what to say to that. She honestly looked a little impressed, which Zayn couldn’t blame her for; Desi had guts. But she was still giving Zayn those little glances of concern that Zayn really wanted to reassure her were unnecessary.

Maybe they should pull her aside and just explain the situation. But then, there was no guarantee that telling her the truth would make her any less concerned.

Zayn stifled a groan, knowing it would only make things worse. Instead of focusing on complicated interpersonal relationships, they decided to watch Desi show off to Russ, because that would always be infinitely more enjoyable. 

It was.

\---

It’d been awhile since Zayn had been able to take photos. Downtime was hard to come by, and it felt good to have a DSLR back in their hands.

“I haven’t seen you smile like this in awhile,” Mac noted, hovering near their shoulder with a camera of his own. “It’s nice.”

Maybe not since the aquarium, really. 

The players started running out and Zayn’s breath caught as they saw her. Desi looked fake and wooden and uncomfortable as hell, but all that melted away for a split second when she made eye contact with Zayn. They took the minute to snap a photo.

At a certain point, as an agent, you tended to lose your love for beautiful women and beautiful cities. Zayn was nowhere near that point yet.

Their photos were surveillance photos, technically, but that didn’t stop them from snapping an artsy pic of a soccer ball or cleat every once in a while. Mac could always tell where their camera was pointed, and he’d always smile at them when he noticed a photo that couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the mission.

But of course, the happy moments couldn’t last, even as Zayn was getting shot after shot of the scrimmage and the crowd (and probably more than necessary of Desi, but they loved her, so whatever).

They’d wound up next to Riley somehow, who offered them a tiny little fruit skewer with a smile, and Zayn had just been about to start a conversation - about what, they hadn’t decided - when Desi got the ball. Zayn shrieked, cheering, and went back to taking photos diligently. 

Which meant, by some miracle, they caught the exact moment Gabriella went rigid and fell to the ground, dead.

Mac and Bozer and Russ were running _away_ , probably hunting for the Merchant, but Zayn ran towards the field, towards Desi, and dropped to their knees. Gabriella’s heart wasn’t beating, but besides the battery of their camera, they didn’t have anything to fashion a defibrillator out of this time. 

So they did all they could, and they started CPR, and they kept pushing until the ambulance took the body away and the medics directed them back into Desi’s arms and they watched the corpse disappear.

The first thing Desi said after the team had finally made it back to the safehouse was a simple declaration: “I don’t know how, but the Merchant killed her.”

Russ had tried to ask Zayn to do something other than sit beside Desi, but they’d snapped at him and he’d realized it was very much a losing battle. Now, they just held her hand as she gazed off into the distance. They’d given up scouring their photos, trying to see how she’d died, and they’d passed the camera off to Mac in favor of emotional support.

“She was just trying to do the right thing,” Desi mourned.

“The finals match is in two days,” Bozer pointed out. “He needed Gabriella to throw the game.”

He needed her, and yet he’d killed her all the same. Zayn felt the anger bubbling under their skin.

Stating the obvious, Russ pointed out, “Well, he’ll just find another player.”

“Then let’s make it easy for him,” Desi suggested, and Zayn did not like where this was going. “If he wants a corruptible player, let’s give him one. Me.”

Zayn’s heart dropped. “You just said Merchant is a murderer. _Desi,_ ” they pleaded desperately, but her jaw was set. This one wasn’t something they could win.

She had a solid plan, but only Russ liked it. “He takes the bait, we take him down,” he declared with a grin. Most of the good will he’d bought with the other missions was being rapidly used up in Zayn’s heart. He was clearly the same unscrupulous individual, just with a new team to keep him on track.

“We better make sure he doesn’t take down Desi with him,” Mac pointed out grimly. 

For a brief, absurd moment, they wished that it was just them with Mac and Desi, that this wasn’t a mission but a vacation, and that they could just curl up in bed together and sleep this one off. Zayn was suddenly exhausted.

But it wasn’t, so Mac ended up sleeping on the couch, still within view of the bed Desi had claimed, but just out of reach.

\---

“This is ridiculous,” Zayn protested. They weren’t used to having hair longer than their ears, let alone hitting their shoulder blades, and the wig that was part of their disguise as a wealthy casino-goer was a new experience. 

“Sorry, but the cherry red curls draw a bit more attention than we want.” Mac gave them a reassuring smile that made their heart skip. “For what it’s worth, I think you look good.”

Zayn snorted. “You’re biased. You’re my husband of a couple months, you need to say that.”

“And I’ll still mean it, years into our marriage,” he replied teasingly, taking the opportunity to rest his hand at the base of the wig on their neck. “Besides, it’s pretty soft.”

“Yeah, well, don’t pull,” Zayn muttered sarcastically, realizing only when Mac’s cheeks flushed slightly what it could imply. They coughed to cover it up. 

“Save it for the honeymoon suite,” Desi replied as she brushed past, smirking.

Now they were blushing just as red as Mac. 

Mac led them over to a card table - Blackjack, it looked like - and settled in. “So where do we go next?”

“Hm?”

“On our honeymoon grand tour of the world.” He grinned, clearly having his fun with the role. 

Zayn decided to lean into it, too, because what the hell, this might be the closest they ever got to a date with MacGyver. “Well, you promised me Hawai’i,” they pointed out. “Illegally colonized or not.”

His face softened. “You still want to go?” he asked with a bit of vulnerability that surprised Zayn.

“Of course. It’d be amazing.” They nudged his shoulder, trying to lighten things a little bit. “Your turn to pick.”

“Yellowknife, Canada. Rent a cabin, roast some marshmallows, watch the Aurora Borealis.”

Zayn chuckled. “I do believe you invented romance.” Out of the corner of their eye, she saw Desi watching the two of them wistfully. It was the furthest from jealous she’d been around Mac and Zayn since the breakup. 

Right now, she looked like she’d kiss them both. 

Blackjack wasn’t working, so she moved to roulette, Mac and Zayn following carefully behind. “You know,” he said, examining their left hand. “The two rings look good together. Might have to ask Russ if you can keep it,” he added in a whisper.

Zayn had refused to take off Desi’s engagement ring, so Bozer had chosen a nice ring that matched it perfectly. 

They smiled, shrugged. “I’m not really a diamond person,” they confessed. 

Mac nodded. “Me neither. What if I got you an opal instead?”

“Angus MacGyver, are you offering me a new wedding ring?”

“You two are ridiculous,” Russ protested over the comms. “No one can hear you but us.”

Zayn just smirked with Mac. Let him squirm.

Desi put all her chips on Red 21, and Zayn glanced at Mac. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. There was no way she hadn’t done it on purpose, but they weren’t sure to what end. Was this flirtation? A power play?

Either way, it was ironically unlucky, because Desi got an extra three hundred fifty thousand out of it. 

“Guess half your luck is quite a bit,” Zayn whispered, getting a bit of a smile. 

“I don’t know what that means, but I don’t care. Fix this,” Taylor demanded. “She needs to lose everything.”

Zayn already had the magnetic clasp out of their purse before Mac could ask for it, and he grinned as they slid it into his palm. “Thanks, babe.” Desi glanced over and raised an eyebrow and they figured she heard that. “Alright, Taylor, I’m gonna need one of your epic sneezes in about ten seconds.”

Only Zayn saw Mac use the magnet on the wheel. Only Zayn saw that Red 21 would have won again otherwise. Zayn wasn’t a particularly superstitious person, but at the same time, they couldn’t help but feel it meant something.

Their heart flipped protectively as Desi was approached by the manager. Mac made his way back, surreptitiously returned the purse clasp, and put a hand on their back, gently guiding them after Desi. It was stabilizing, Zayn thought. But there were two guards at the stairs and there was no way to slip past them unnoticed, so another plan needed to be formed. 

Riley was out back in combat boots and jeans. She snapped her laptop shut and offered MacGyver a coil of rope, which he gratefully took.

“She’s gonna be okay,” Riley whispered to Zayn. They hadn’t even realized their anxiety was that apparent on their face, but they offered her a grateful smile at the firm squeeze she gave their shoulder. “Let’s go get our girl.”

\--- 

“He injected something into me that can stop my heart.”

Desi didn’t panic. Desi _never_ panicked, especially not about her own wellbeing, and that’s what freaked Zayn out the most. 

Russ, Bozer, and Riley started arguing about what the best solution was, but all Zayn could do was stare imploringly at Mac.

“I need to get down on the field to see what’s going on with that chip.” 

He’d have a plan, then. Zayn felt themself go numb with panic - they’d never gotten those close to losing Desi before, not even in the building in Germany. This was the matter of a push of a button. But they were an agent, and their subconscious knew what to do even when their conscious mind was freaking out, so their feet took them on autopilot to follow Russ and Bozer to find Titan.

It was an inane thought, but… “How do you know Titan’s a man?” they asked.

“Beg your pardon?” Taylor faltered for a split second but kept moving. 

“You keep calling Titan ‘he,’” they pointed out, because it was easier than freaking out about Desi or plotting their next moves. “But Titan could be a woman, right? Or have you actually seen them before?”

“Well, I suppose I just assumed…” Russ stopped and pushed his way into the room. “Ah! See, a man.”

Except it wasn’t Titan, and Codex continued to be several steps ahead of them. Zayn wanted to scream. They had the self-control not to, however, unlike Russ who started kicking things and shouting. The lack of sleep was catching up to him. 

“We lost them,” Russ declared, despairing. “There’s no Titan, no Merchant, and no way to save Desi.”

“You shut your mouth!” Zayn spat. “That is _not acceptable_! I am not losing the love of my life to your stupid, obsessive, over-ambitious, poorly-reasoned...” Already they were running calculations, but they were panicking, and they knew they’d be useless on their own. So they sprinted and prayed Mac could fix everything.

They crashed into him and for once they were grateful they were so small, because it meant they did no damage and he could catch them, easy.

“Please tell me you have something,” they begged. “I don’t care about Merchant or Titan or Codex, just _save her_ , Mac.” Their voice broke. “ _Please._ ”

It was easy to see the worry on his face, but the weird part was that some of it was clearly for them, not Desi. He didn’t let go of their arms, keeping them pressed against his chest. “Not yet. But I’ll think of something.” It was warm and comforting, but it wasn’t enough.

“You’ve got nine minutes, otherwise the crowd’s gonna get a show they didn’t bargain for,” Desi pointed out. Her voice was shaking and she was getting ready to go out. 

Zayn felt him scanning the crowd, and they could feel the exact moment he got an idea, because his whole body tensed. “I think I have a plan on how to save you from the Merchant, but you’re not going to like this.” He exhaled. “You’re gonna let him trigger the chip.”

“I’m sorry, what now?” It was somehow grounding to hear the frustration in her voice, alongside the terror. An angry Desi was a Desi that was far more likely to be okay. 

Zayn glanced up at Mac. “You’re gonna stop the signal?”

He nodded. “It’s our only shot. Do you trust me?” There was a beat of silence. He grimaced. “Desi, do you copy?”

“Of course I trust you,” she sighed. “I never stopped.”

That was an admission Zayn wasn’t expecting, but it was sweet and romantic. And, Zayn knew from living with her, it was true.

“I need to go,” Mac apologized, letting them go finally.

Zayn shook their head. “ _Save her._ ”

If they weren’t so freaked out about her dying, Zayn would be excited to watch Desi on the big field. As it was, they couldn’t tear their eyes away from her, but every ounce of pride was tempered with fear. They should follow Mac, probably; and yet their feet stayed rooted. 

The penalty was dirty and unexpected, and looked like it hurt when Desi went down. They hissed sympathetically, already knowing they’d be cleaning those scrapes later. But the penalty meant the penalty kick, which meant the final moments for Mac to finish his plan. 

She didn’t throw the shot. Desi never would. Zayn watched as their girlfriend made a perfect kick right into the back of the net, and then they screwed their eyes shut and they prayed. 

“Zayn. Zayn, come on.” Riley had them by the shoulder, dragging them along. “We’re gonna grab them, come with us.” She slipped her hand down to offer it to Zayn and they took it, gratefully. The support was well-timed.

But when the four of them made it to the right section, all that was left was a bag, like the kind you’d get from a clothing store. In the bag was the remote, and while Zayn was frustrated that meant they couldn’t track the man, they snatched it up and breathed a sigh of relief that no one would be triggering that pulse anytime soon.

The crowd was cheering and whistling, and everyone next to Zayn had gone rigid. They turned their attention to the field to see what the hell was going on - 

And there were Mac and Desi, up on the big screen, surrounded by hearts and kissing desperately like she’d almost died. Because, well, she had.

“Well, shit,” Zayn mumbled. That wasn’t particularly subtle of those two.

Riley, Bozer, and Russ were all looking at Zayn with varying degrees of concern. Russ seemed mostly confused, and Bozer seemed disbelieving, but Riley stopped to put a hand on Zayn’s shoulder and squeeze. 

“Hey. Are you...okay?” she asked, but it wasn’t until she inclined her chin at Zayn’s engagement ring that they figured out what everyone was so freaked out about. 

They forced a smile, which probably looked like soldiering through the pain to everyone else, but really, they were just worried about Desi and Mac being the center of attention like that. There was no way it wasn’t going on the news.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” they promised, which got three doubtful looks, but they shook their head. “Come on, let’s get those two idiots off the field.”

\---

The mood on the jet was tense, in spite of the major victory. Desi kept rubbing at the cut behind her ear absently, and Zayn knew it would scar. They would love it like every other one of her scars, but they would hate it for what it meant. She’d accepted stitches when the doctor removed the chip, but that wouldn’t stop it. They’d always remember.

Desi didn’t seem to realize she’d done something wrong, though she clearly saw the looks she was getting. If she knew, she probably would’ve sat next to Zayn, to reassure them or something. Mac was just as clueless, and he kept giving Desi a couple dopey smiles.

Zayn shut their eyes and exhaled slowly. This was not going to end well. 

Riley was the one to snap. “Okay, if neither of you are going to bring it up, I will.” She had her hands on her hips and was death-glaring Mac and Desi. “What the hell, guys?”

The two glanced at each other, seeming to understand where her ire was directed, but not why. 

“What?” Mac asked finally. 

Zayn decided to cut in. “The kiss,” they explained tiredly. “In front of a metric ton of people.”

“ _Desi, you have a fiancé!_ ” Riley put her arms around Zayn’s shoulders protectively. “What the _hell_ were you thinking?”

Mac and Desi seemed to have their realization at the same time, but Mac jumped in to protest far quicker. “It was me,” he said. “I’m the one who kissed her, she didn’t do anything wrong -”

“She kissed you back, and anything that lasts over a minute is accepting responsibility.”

Desi had her eyes on Zayn. She wanted directions for how to play this. 

Go big or go home, they guessed. “You guys never actually asked how long Desi and I have been together,” they pointed out.

Riley’s brows furrowed. It was Bozer who asked, “How long?”

“Since before I worked at Phoenix,” they replied.

“You’ve been in the lab for years, though,” Bozer pointed out. “That means -”

“That means Desi and Mac were dating at the same time I was dating her. I don’t - it’s all cool with me. They have my permission and stuff.” They tilted their chin at Riley. “Thanks for looking out for me, though.”

They all absorbed that for a minute. 

“How come we didn’t know about you?” Riley demanded finally. “Since you’ve been around for years.”

Desi glanced up awkwardly. “You may notice I have a bit of trouble talking about my personal life,” she said carefully.

That got a genuine laugh out of Zayn. “And then she and Mac started dating and I figured it was easier if y’all just...didn’t know about me.” They forced their tone to be airy, but there was a steadily building pit in their stomach.

“You mean I could’ve met you earlier?” She glared at Mac and Desi. “Not cool, guys!”

Russ was glancing between the three of them, looking like he’d attempted to swallow a cueball. “I don’t understand.”

“That’s fine, you don’t have to,” Zayn replied primly. Riley let out an amused snort. 

“So are y’all gonna do the - the three people thing again?” Bozer asked, gesturing around. “Are they back together again?”

Zayn shrugged. “I dunno, I have to get these two idiots to sit down and have an actual conversation about it.” 

“Hey!” Both parties in question protested at the same time.

But Riley and Bozer were both on their side, and made supportive noises that warmed Zayn’s soul. For a moment, they wondered why they’d ever been afraid at all. Being honest about it was much easier and more rewarding. 

Of course, nothing good can last, Zayn thought as Russ pulled them over to see something on his phone. The night was far from over. So much for that conversation.

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm doing it apparently. Wheee. This AU has spiraled wildly out of control but you know what, I'm living. These nerds deserve to be happy, and to have more conversations than the show allows.  
> Can you tell which episodes this season have been my favorite lol?  
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
